Biochemical and transcriptomic analysis in berries of wild and cultivated grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.)

The transcriptional and biochemical changes during berry development of the grapevine Vitis vinifera L. subsp. sativa have been well characterized, but little is known regarding wild grapevine berries (V. vinifera subsp. sylvestris). We analyzed 126 female wild accessions to measure the content of phenolic compounds in the berries. Different biochemical profiles were observed in the wild berries. We selected two extreme biochemical profiles between one wild accession and the cultivated grapevine 'Monastrell' at two developmental stages (veraison and full ripening). Transcriptomic analysis was performed to evaluate the gene expression patterns and associate them with the phenolic profiles. Some genes of the phenylpropanoid pathway were differentially expressed between wild and cultivated berries, and this was related to the different biochemical profiles.